Joseph Lopez attorney for Frank Calabrese Sr. an alleged member of Chicago's organized crime family , The Chicago Outfit, talks to reporters before he heads into federal court as jury selection begins... (Associated Press)

(Newser)
–
Five elderly men accused of running the Chicago mob go on trial this week before a jury of their peers—but the defendants and their lawyers won't know the names of those peers. The Chicago Tribune explores the issue of juror anonymity as a federal court begins assembling a panel of people who will be known only by numbers.

The "Family Secrets" case, which involves an incident that inspired the plot of the movie "Casino," will be presented to the first anonymous federal jury in Chicago since 1992. Defense attorneys strenuously objected to the tactic, saying it suggests that their clients are "pretty nefarious people," but the judge gave the go-ahead anyway.